Tobacco-drier



(No Model.) Y

S". COLLINS.

TOBACCO DRIBR.

NO. 321,797. Patented July 7, 1885.

WJTJVESSES. v IJV VENTOR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN COLLINS, OF HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOB OF TVO-THIRDS TO JOHNSANDERS ELDER AND ABNER BONDUBANTE MAXEY, BOTH OF OLABKSVILLE,TENNESSEE.

TOBACCO-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 321,797, dated `l'uly7, 1885.

Application filed Octobe'r l1, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN CoLLINs, of Huntsville, county of Madison,and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Furnaces for Curing Tobacco, of which the following isaspecitication.

As is Well understood to those familiar with the art of curing tobacco,the ordinary process by open res in the curing-house is ac- Io companiedby considerable danger on account of the liability of the sparks fromsaid fires being carried up among the tobacco-leaves during the latterpart of the process, when they are nearly dry, igniting the same, andthus causing the destruction of both the tobacco and the curing-house.Many of the attempts heretofore made to overcome this danger by theconstruction of furnaces have been productive of an apparatus eitherunsatisfactory 2o in its operation or too expensive for common-y use.The object of my said invention is, therefore, to produce a safe,efficient, and cheap apparatus for curing tobacco by artificial heat, aswill be presently more fully described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof,and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts,Figurel is a perspective View of acuring-house, aportion of one wallbeing broken 3o away to show the interior and my improved furnacetherein; and Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through said furnace.

In said drawings the portions marked A represent the curing-house, and Bthe furnace,

3 5 which forms the subject-matter of this application.

The curing-house A is not peculiar to this invention, butis of anyordinary construction and of the capacity desired. The tobacco is 4ohung upon poles, which are arranged upon stringers in the usual manner.

The furnaceB is preferably circular in form, and constructed ofsheet-iron or similar material. It is of any suitable size, and has aninclosed conical-shaped top, B. Said top is provided with a short pieceof pipe, b, by which a smoke-pipe may be connected to the furnace, whendesired, as will be presently more fully described. Ordinarily,itis,keptclosed by the 5o cover b. The walls are strengthened at top and bottomby rings b2 of bar-iron, which extend around on the inside and aresecured thereto. Openings B2 are provided in said Walls near their loweredges for the escape of the heat and smoke, and are covered with wirescreens, which prevent any sparks or cinders from escaping therewith.rIhese openings may be of such number as desired, but are preferablyabout six to each furnace, arranged around its sides, so that the heatwill escape 6c equally in all directions. A door, B3, is also providedfor the usual purpose of doors in furnaces.

By constructing the furnace of a cylindrical form much less heavy ironis required to give it the required strength and durability,as will bereadily understood, and a much cheaper and lighter furnace is thereforeproduced.

The manner of using my said invention may be briefly described asfollows: The tobacco 7o being arranged in the curing-housein thewellknown manner, as before indicated, a re pit or trench, B, is dug inthe earth floor of the house from the door of the furnace toward itsrear side. This is of any suitable size for the purpose, and ispreferably deeper in the middle than at its ends. This trench is formed,and the fuel may be arranged therein, before the main drum of thefurnace is placed over it, and the labor of firing thus made lighter'.The 8o fuel being properly arranged the main drum B is placed inposition and the fire started. Small lateral trenches may be formed fromthis one to the outside of the furnace to aid the draft, said smalltrenches to be closed when the fire gets sufficiently under way. Theheat and smoke escape through the openings in the sides out among thetobacco, and act upon the same in the usual manner.

In some localities the tobacco produced is 9o injured by the use ofsmoke in curing, and in such cases I attach a pipe to the top of thefurnace, as before described, which carries the smoke outside of thebuilding.

In large houses as many of these furnaces may be employed as seemnecessary to properly do the work; but in such small ones as that shownone would be all that is necessary.

It will be understood, of course, that the fire may be built upon thetop of the earth floor roo instead of in the trench,when desired,withoutdeparting from my invention.

I am aware that tobaceo-driers have been heretofore constructed withinclosed top and openings around their sides. I am also aware thatcircular sheet-iron stoves have been heretofore made; but I am not awarethat any furnace for curing tobacco of the construction herein describedand claimed, or any stove adapted for this purpose, has heretofore beenconstructed.

Having thus fully described my saidinvcntion,whatI claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

A furnace for use in atobaceo-curing house, consisting of acylindricalcasing, B, having a conical inclosed top, B', said top being pro` videdwith means lfor con neet-ing a smoke-pipe thereto, when desired, andsaid casing being provided with a series of openings, B, in its sidesnear its bottom, which are covered with screens, and also provided witha door, B,

rings b2 b`Z being secured around the top and STEPHEN ooLLiNs. [L. Sg

In presence of WnsLnY DRAMA, A. B. NANNY.

